We must not take our foot of the pedal, says Warrilow

The Angels finished last season in eighth place in the Ryman Premier League table on 63 points, missing out on a place in the play-off’s by just five points.

Hopes are high for this season and following a spluttering start, the Angels have hit form and go into the New Year in third place with 41 points from 23 games, losing only three of their last 17 league games.

Warrilow, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk this lunchtime, says there’s more to come from his play-off chasing side.

“We’ve been there just over the year and from where the club’s gone to where we are now I think it’s very positive,” he said.

“We’ve got a younger side, potentially some very good assets for the club and the way their performing, all we want is to get more people through the club as the squad has been reduced due to the financial climate we’re in.

“If you want to sustain the improvement we’ve had in the last year we need some more supporters coming through the turnstiles.”

Despite the west Kent club splashing out £120,000 to bring Longmead Stadium up to Blue Square South standard during the close season, Warrilow is disappointed that gates have dropped by 15% to an average of 437, when an average of 518 watched his side last term.

“It would be lovely, we’re sitting third and I thought we’d be around the 500s, stroke 600 at least,” said Warrilow.

“Sometimes it’s not down to football, you put the television on and see what’s going on in the world.

“I’ve said to (chairman and vice chairman) Nick (Sullivan) and Garry (Pass), there’s no shame trimming the squad, the club is bigger than me and the players and we don’t want the club to go back to when Nick first came to the club.”

But he added: “We don’t want to take the foot of the pedal, regarding getting the club in the play-off spot.”

Andy Hessenthaler’s Dover Athletic are sitting pretty at the top of the table with 60 points from 23 games and it would be disastrous if they were to let slip a 17 point lead on second placed Staines Town, who are only two points clear of Warrilow’s Angels.

Warrilow has set his side a target of finishing the season in the play-off’s.

“I want to give my lads targets and push on and I didn’t see the play-off’s an unrealistic target,” he said.

“At the moment at Christmas time we’re sitting third. We would have taken that at the start of the season and we can still improve, which is a nice thing as well.”

Financial restraints mean Warrilow operates with only 15 first-team players, so he is quite pleased that the festive period has been a quiet period for Ryman League clubs.

But he expects 2009 to be a very big year for the Longmead Stadium club.

“We will be training Tuesday and Thursday this week so it will be treated like any other week,” said Warrilow. “I would rather have games but we had quite a busy month. We have six games in January, so it’s important you take advantage of the rest times, keeping the lads ticking over. We had a good December, apart from the Wealdstone game.”

“People have to realise we’re sitting third now and that’s a really good achievement by the lads and everyone at the club.

“We have to sustain this and keep us there and people not to take it for granted.

“We’ll give them targets to stay in the play-off’s now, that’s what we want to do. We’ve had three clean sheets on the spin now and even though the squad is small, the competition is stiffer.

“There’s going to be twists and turns, more downs as well as ups and when we do have a loss it’s not the end of the world and doom and gloom.

“We have to be realistic and go again. My message to my players is to keep the unbeaten run going again, we’ve only lost three in 17 games.”

Whilst Hessenthaler has the financial backing for a larger squad, Warrilow is more than happy to work with a close-nit unit at Tonbridge.

“I’m not a great lover of five subs as you can only use three, so why drag two lads when they can play in the reserves as players need games,” explained Warrilow. “As long as I’ve got 14 players available to choose from I’d be happy.

“I don’t have a problem having 15 players but as you go on and push up the leagues you have to have competition for places and Dover’s the proof of the pudding.

“The down side of it is you need competition for places as we’re looking to push on, without committing financial suicide we do need a bugger squad. That’s no disrespect to our club, Dover are a bigger club than us and you cut your cloth accordingly.”

The Angels completed 2008 by winning their third successive match, a hard-fought 1-0 win at Hastings United, courtesy of a curing cross from Lewis Hamilton.

Flu victim Warrilow criticised Hastings’ tactics throughout the dull encounter.

“It wasn’t the best game in the world,” he said. “Obviously it takes two teams to play football and one of the teams on the day didn’t play.

“The ref missed incidents off the ball, players were being pulled, the game didn’t get going.

“It was one of those days when you have to be professional, take three points, get home and dust yourselves down and forget about it.

“You have to go to places like Hastings, where they made it difficult for us and we got dragged into a bit of a scrap, rather than a football match.”

Warrilow was pleased that Hamilton got on the score sheet, even though it was an in-swinging cross from the left touchline.



GOAL: Lewis Hamilton (far right, near touchline) swings in the goal that helped Tonbridge Angels win their third successive game, at A21 rivals Hastings United on Saturday.
Photograph courtesy of David Couldridge - www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk

“I think it sort of summed the game up really,” he said. “Lewis deserves that bit of fortune. I’m glad he scored. In saying that we had half a dozen quality crosses from John Westcott’s set-pieces that we should have got on the end of. He’s hit the post from one of them when he’s been whipping them in so when Lewis’ flew in, it was no surprise really.”

Ramsgate, who knocked the Angels out of the FA Trophy earlier in the season, visit Longmead Stadium on Saturday, and Warrilow wants pay-back.

“I think the Trophy game could have gone either way, we could have won it and didn’t take our chances, a costly error on one of the goals and we got punished,” recalled Warrilow.

“We will always create chances and it’s important we get on the end of them. We should have cashed in on our chances during the Hastings game.

“There’s no easy game and on paper they’ve got a good team. I would expect a very hard game and it’s important we match them and don’t come unstuck like the Trophy game earlier in the season.

“There’s a few ex Angels in the side, which will make it a bit more spicy for them.

“There’s ex-Hastings players (in our side and on Saturday) that showed on the pitch as a lot tried to wind each other up. It’s important we don’t get involved in that.

“We have to match Ramsgate’s work-rate and show why we’re sitting third and keep the ball better than we did in the Trophy game.”

This article was written before Ramsgate’s home game against Dartford tonight.

Simon Glover serves the second of his third match suspension against the Rams, whilst Jamie Cade (groin) and Carl Rook (leg) face fitness tests.

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ websites: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk & www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk

Visit Ramsgate’s website: www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk

Tonbridge Angels v Ramsgate
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 3^rd January 2009
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Betterview Longmead Stadium, Darenth Avenue, Tonbridge, Kent TN10 3JF